“Dawn Landes is staking her claim to Nashville.” – People
“These songs come from a place of exhaustion, bewilderment, and pure love,” says Nashville-based singer/songwriter Dawn Landes of My Tiny Twilight, a six-song collection out May 10 on Yep Roc Records.
Written in the early haze of motherhood and inspired by her young daughter, My Tiny Twilight was recorded in Nashville and features Joe Pisapia (guitar, pedal steel, bass), Sam Smith (drums), and Landes’ husband Creighton Irons (piano).
The single and Landes-directed video for “I’m Your Mama,” (watch/share) co-written with her best friend Brooklyn-based visual artist Danica Novgorodoff, premiered at WXPN’s Kids Corner.
“I found myself singing to my daughter constantly to soothe her, entertain her, and pass the time, says Landes. “The first song I wrote was “Hushabye.” I couldn’t get her to stop crying so I sat at the piano and played until she quieted down. She responded to the melody and it became pretty useful in those first months.”
“I’ve made a lot of music videos before but this is the first one I directed myself. I dragged a green screen around for a few months and shot all the footage on my iPhone. It features moms and their kids dancing, all of them my own family and friends. I packed the green screen in a suitcase and flew to Arizona so that my grandma could be in the video. She’s 94 and doesn’t travel anymore but I wanted to get some of her zing on camera, it meant a lot to me to have four generations together!”
Beginning April 3 in Atlanta GA, Landes will join Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets on the road with stops in Asheville, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, amongst others. On April 27, she’ll make her Stagecoach debut. A full list of dates is below.
Raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and Branson, Missouri, Landes spent years in New York’s music scene, where she cultivated her musical gifts. A frequent collaborator with contemporaries Sufjan Stevens, Norah Jones, and composer Nico Muhly, she’s appeared with the Boston Pops, the New York Ballet and on the TED main stage performing songs from forthcoming musicalROW about fellow Louisville native Tori Murden McClure’s quest to become the first woman to row across the Atlantic Ocean.
Her most recent album and Yep Roc Records debut, Meet Me At The River, was recorded with legendary producer Fred Foster (Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton) and features Bobby Bare, Charlie McCoy, and other A-list Nashville players.
DAWN LANDES TOUR DATES
April 3 – The Variety – Atlanta, GA*
April 5 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC*
April 6 – Haw River Ballroom – Haw River, NC*
April 7 – The Hamilton – Washington, DC*
April 11 – The Wilbur – Boston, MA*
April 12 – Tarrytown Music Hall – Tarrytown, NY*
April 13 – The Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY*
April 14 – Infinity Music Hall – Hartford, CT*
April 19 – Philadelphia Museum of Art – Philadelphia, PA
April 27 – Stagecoach – Indio, CA
May 21 – City Winery – Nashville, TN^
*w/Nick Lowe
^w/KT Tunstall
My Tiny Twilight Tracklisting:
- Hello
- I’m Your Mama
- Everybody Dream
- I’m Wishing On A Star
- Baby Please
- Hushabye
The album is now available for pre-order.